With midnight jam sessions, Big Easy is lost on Howard

NEW ORLEANS — As stars who had filled the city were escorted past velvet ropes and throngs of fans packed French Quarter bars and restaurants, Rockets center Dwight Howard left the madness on the other side of town for his All-Star weekend ritual.

For a second consecu- tive late-night session of his own midnight madness, Howard took to the University of New Orleans weight room and practice court, putting himself through 90 minutes of lifting and shooting, pull-ups and drills.

“I did it last year,” Howard, 28, said of his early Friday and Saturday workouts as if there was nothing unusual about opting against taking a breather during the All-Star break. “I’ve been doing it for a while.”

Asked why he — joined by Rockets rookie forward Robert Covington for the Saturday session — chose to work rather than play, Howard said too much was at stake to slow for a weekend crowded with appearances and obligations.

“First, we have a very important season,” Howard said. “Second, you can’t just stop working because it’s All-Star weekend and everybody’s taking breaks. That doesn’t mean I need to take a break. I want to go out there and practice, try to make myself better for the second half of the season.

“We’ve done that for the most part of the season. Me and (Rockets assistant player development coach) Derrick Alston and (Rockets assistant coach) Greg Buck- ner, we’re always in the gym at night. We go back and work out every night, and we’ve been doing that I would say for a good two, three months. It’s something I enjoy doing, it’s something that has made me a lot better, and we’re going to continue to do it.”